Memories
by Kurosu
Summary: AU, HitsuRuki. Side stories to Bleach: The Shoujo Side. A few memories Rukia & Toushirou shared together during their younger days.
1. A Quiet Promise

**Disclaimer**: _Bleach_ belongs to Tite Kubo.

* * *

**Bleach: The Shoujo Side - Side Stories**

**Memories - A Quiet Promise**

written by Kurosu

When Rukia was twelve, she became ill that early spring year. It was minor cold, so nothing life threatening, but the poor girl was confined to her bed. Most of the time she was too exhausted to even bother getting out of the comforting warmth of her blankets. Lately, the cool spring weather wasn't any different from the last few days of winter, so she bundled into a tiny ball beneath the layers of warmth.

Her grandfather and brother visited her a few times, but she told them she would be fine and didn't want them to catch her cold. She loved them dearly, but it did get lonely in her room. The only company she would have right now was her Chappy rabbit plushie - at least it wouldn't get sick. She would talk to Chappy till she fell asleep, murmuring softly the names of those she missed.

It was only the late afternoon when the breeze picked up, gently twirling the loose flower petals and leaves into the air. The sunlight had a lovely peach glow, filtering through the curtains and showering the tiny bit of the day's warmth into the girl's room.

Rukia was sleeping peacefully in the soft light of the day, clutching her rabbit plushie securely within her arms. The dark curls of her hair framed her porcelain face, giving her an ethereal shimmer about her. Her breaths were soft and steady, the only sounds drifting in the room.

The shoji screen door to the room quietly slid open.

The visitor paused in the doorway for a moment, as if contemplating to enter, and then proceeded inside and closed the door quickly to keep the room as close to its original state as possible, that she was used to.

He walked over to her bedside, treading softly but firmly. He stood there, with a straight posture of confidence; both hands in his pockets of his black slacks. His matching _gakuran_ top was left partially unbuttoned from his collar to halfway, allowing a white crew neck tee shirt to show, which gave him a slight appearance of a mischievous boy. Even his short, white hair added to his wild, untamed look, but it made him that more attractive, though he was still a boy slowly entering his pubescent period.

He looked down at the sleeping angel, memorizing every detail of her delicate features - which he had been doing since they were younger. One day, those parts of her would be more defined, more beautiful, and then, he wouldn't be able to paint his subconscious with anything else.

His lips pursed into a thin line in hesitation, but he had already decided upon his action. Taking his right hand out of his pocket, he, for once with a bit of trepidation, moved it towards the small form in bed. He could feel the tense muscles in his hand as he reached out to her pale cheek, and he brushed his index finger against her soft skin, slightly pushing some strands of her raven hair aside.

Even though she was sick, her skin had always been light, seemingly unmarred by the sun's effect, and a great contrast to his own skin tone: an earthly tan color.

She stirred in her slumber, scrunching her nose adorably at the disturbance. He didn't think a slight touch had such an effect on her and partially regretted his action. He wanted to watch her sleep some more, but the other part of him wanted her to open her mesmerizing eyes and see him.

Her eyes fluttered open as her hand moved from gripping the rabbit's ear to her cheek, touching the familiar hand upon her face. She clasped his hand within her own and turned her head towards him, while he now lost the confident posture and instead leaned tenderly towards her need for warmth.

"Hitsugaya-kun," she whispered, still doused with the leftover sleepiness, "your hand is cold."

Her voice held no irritation in the statement, only honesty.

"Ah," he replied in agreement. His touch always seemed to be cold to her - and everyone else - but she never complained about how uncomfortable it was nor pulled away from him. It was just the opposite: she welcomed his cool touch and enjoyed the feeling he brought to her.

When he retrieved his hand from her, he dropped it to his side and watched her rub her eyes, hoping the drowsiness would go away. She gave a little yawn and then finally looked at him, and he just returned the stare in silence. He didn't do well with words when it didn't involve his studies, but he enjoyed the quietness more than anything, especially when it was just the two of them, with unspoken words.

She then turned her gaze away, to the wall behind him, and pulled the covers up to her chin, biting her bottom lip with worry. "Ne, Hitsugaya-kun," she started.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come. To your graduation."

"You're sick."

"But it was important!"

"But you're sick."

She did her best to glare at him in her weak state, and it annoyed her when he was right. As far as she could remember, he had always been right about everything - the smarty pants. That was why he was called the prodigy; he had just graduated from high school at the early age of thirteen. Soon, he would start his higher education at the university, speeding into the adult world without worries. He was just so different from all the other kids, including her, so she wondered, at this point in her life, if he would still be there, tomorrow.

She seemed to be feeling miserable now, with her brooding silence, so he sat down at the edge of her bed and placed a hand on her forehead. She didn't bother to look at him when he did that, but her face suddenly got twice as warm. He grinned at the spike in temperature and took his hand from her forehead, only to bring it down to her nose and give it a pinch.

"Hurry up and get better, _Chibiko_," he teased, using her nickname - 'little child/girl' - that only he had the right to do. She sent him another of her deadly glare, but he ignored it, being used to it for so long and he was the mature one. "I'll be leaving for Tokyo U. in two weeks."

"I know," she pouted.

A knock on the door interrupted the two of them, followed by a voice that informed him that he had to leave soon. He acknowledge that and said he would come out in a few minutes. When he turned back to the sick girl in bed, she had buried herself deeper into her warm bedding.

"_Chibiko_," he called out, wanting to get her attention again, "give me your hand."

"Why?" she asked, her voice muffled from the blankets.

"Just do it."

With a huff, she stuck out her left hand, opening her palm up to him. He held her hand within his left while his free one snapped the second button of his _gakuran_ uniform and placed it in her opened hand. She stared wide-eyed at the item in her hand, completely oblivious to the meaning of his action, and he closed her fingers over it, grinning smugly. She wanted to ask him what she should do with the button, but he had already stood up to leave.

"I'll see you next week, _Chibiko_."

He was turning around halfway when he waved her off, and within seconds, he disappeared behind the shoji door as it closed quietly after him.

She opened her hand and stared at the small object, examining it as if it had some mysterious power that... would cure her cold? She then held the silver button in the sunlight, between her thumb and index finger, and watched the light reflect off the shimmering surface. She didn't understand the significant meaning of it, but one day, she would.

It wasn't about a silly love confession teenagers believed in these days.

To him, it was about a single promise.

A promise of their connection - no matter the distance, no matter the obstacle, there bond couldn't be erased.

* * *

**Note:** Instead of working on episode 3 of the main story, I felt like writing a HitsuRuki (since that possible pairing won't be mention till later, a while later).

It's sort of hard to imagine them when they were younger... even though a young Hitsugaya was a wild one in _Bleach_, but I like the mature side of him when it comes to taking care of loved ones. I also like the fact that he's one not to express his emotions in words but in the little things he does.

Anyway, I enjoyed writing this. I was in that wistful mood. ~kuro


	2. Tale of a Summer

**Disclaimer**: _Bleach_ belongs to Tite Kubo.

* * *

**Bleach: The Shoujo Side - Side Stories**

**Memories - Tale of a Summer**

written by Kurosu

That fourteenth summer of her life had to be the hottest period ever. Rukia felt like a piece of a meat forgotten on the grilled plate at a restaurant, but as she laid there on the veranda outside her room, with all the screen panels throughout the house opened, she was beginning to feel like that same meat.

She was sprawled out in her sky blue yukata, with painted pink and violet peonies, in hopes that it would relieve some of the heat from her body. It wasn't that bad of an idea, and it wasn't like she could prance around the Kuchiki household in tight denim shorts and a tank top, which was not appropriate for the daughter of a noble house. She sighed and rolled onto her side, facing the fan that was generously giving her much needed relief. With closed eyes, she let out another content sigh at the wonderful invention of the electric fan - brought out by the maids - sitting by her head, barely cooling her down because the rest of her body was still suffering from the sweltering heatwave.

She enjoyed the few minutes of sleepy heaven until she was forced to reach her hand up to her neck to scratch an annoying itch. The pressure of the summer weather irritated her so much that she just didn't want to do anything. For the teenagers her age, they were free to squander their summer youth yet she was stuck with assignments from her tutors. That single thought irked her, and with half-lidded eyes, she lazily glanced at the book strewn within the confines of her room. It was a good five feet away, and she had tired of reading the classic Japanese literature of _Genji Monogatari_.

There was no way she was going to start that book up again.

"Oh why couldn't it just snow!" she questioned the utterly blue sky with that unbearable sun blazing down on the defenseless people.

She heard the door to her room slide open but didn't bother to discover her intruder. Very few people would just enter her room unannounced, and it definitely was not any of the household caretakers, who had enough manners to knock first. So in the end, she was not surprised to find the one year older boy standing over her.

The fan blew her bangs across her eyes, and she swept them out of the way as she stared up into his beautiful emerald eyes, that sometimes reflected a bit of blue in the light. He was looking down at her with a disinterested expression, only to spite her since she always complained he lacked any emotions. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his khaki pants - his apparently favorite pose - and he wore a navy polo, leaving the collar unbuttoned. His hair, as usual, was untamed, almost looking like flickering white flames in the heat.

She rubbed her eyes, making sure the high temperature wasn't having her seeing things.

"Hitsugaya, make it snow!" she mumbled, reaching both of her hands straight up to him.

"What do you think I am, _Chibiko_?" he grinned, "The god of winter?"

If only he had that power to grant her wish, he would do just that, since he wasn't fond of the heat either, but to hear those words from her made him smile. He removed his hands from his pockets and took her outstretched hands within his, pulling her into a sitting position, as he sat down behind her, allowing her back to lean against his right shoulder. With her position rearranged, she tuck her legs beneath her and smoothed the short length of her yukata over her thighs, as the proper etiquette dictated her.

"That's okay," she spoke again, with a big smile that seemed to sparkle brighter than the summer sun, "You make it all better."

She always loved his presence, which always made her feel secure and calm. Sometimes she wondered if he radiated coolness instead of the warmth of body heat, because every time he visited her, she always wanted to him stay close to her.

"So I'm better than that electric fan?"

"Hm, you're just as good."

He laughed. It was a loud, carefree laugh, not like his usual deep chuckles, and that made her turn her head slightly towards him. He was now smiling softly as he flipped through her _Genji Monogatari_ book, which he had grabbed when he walked over to her. His eyes remain on the pages, turning through them at a steady pace, but he revealed nothing of his thoughts on the novel, even though she was watching him carefully.

There was just something about his calm, mature demeanor that was always breathtaking.

"Do you like it?" he asked her.

"No."

"Hmm... I see."

"He's a selfish man." She turned her whole body to parallel him, still leaning against his body, as she gazed down at her reading assignment. She continued, "To have so many women. It's despicable."

"Spoken like the modern woman," he smiled and closed the book.

"It's just homework during the break." She rolled her eyes and stretched her arms and legs, now that the heat wasn't bothering her as much as before, but it was still hot. After getting a bit of the laziness out of her muscles, she finally stood up, wondering what to do besides finishing the book.

He gave her a look, and then with a loud, exhausted sigh, he laid down on the floor like she did earlier, resting his head over his arms as a makeshift pillow and crossing his legs at his ankles. He shut his eyes and enjoyed the fan that was now cooling him down, while she glared at him and folded her arms across her chest. Her bare foot tapped impatiently against the wooden floor, and when she realized he was seriously not budging from his comfortable position, she nudged his leg with her foot.

"Hn, _Chibiko_, just enjoy the summer," he grumbled, trying to ignore her persistent prodding.

She stopped, still glaring, but now had both hands on her hips. "Seriously, what did you come here for?" she demanded, "I'm sure your room has a great aircon system!"

He took his right arm from beneath his head and reached a hand to her yukata and gave it a brief tug. She looked annoyed but knelt down to him anyway, peering closely at his face, and still without opening his eyes, he patted to the space next to him, indicating that she should just join him.

Then, there were times he was just plain irritating.

Giving in to his whims with a soft sigh, she laid down next to him, on her side to face him, and used his arm, freely laying across the floor, as a pillow for her head. She stared at him for a few seconds, but he continued to keep his eyes closed and still revealed nothing of his reasons for his unexpected visit. With a pout and another sigh, she resigned to taking that awaited nap.

And soon, only the sound of the fan, cooling them, echoed on the veranda, followed by her gentle snores. With a faint curl of his lips, he adjusted himself towards her a bit without disturbing her and pulled her close to place a tender kiss on the top of her raven head.

* * *

**Note:** I'm still in my HitsuRuki mood. I started with a few sentences, thinking of nothing in particular, then the story just typed itself. I think these memories are more of friendship than anything, but a possible romance can bloom from them.

As for the mention of _Genji Monogatari_, it's been a long time since I last read it, and it was the book that popped in my head when I thought about Japanese literature. I didn't hate it nor like it; it was something I read. *shrugs* Ok, hopefully I can get back to the main story... *crosses fingers* ~kuro


	3. Across the Distance

**Disclaimer**: _Bleach_ belongs to Tite Kubo.

* * *

**Bleach: The Shoujo Side - Side Stories**

**Memories - ****Across the Distance**

written by Kurosu

It was a late time for dinner, with the sun already gone from the evening horizon and the stars peeking into the world. A cool spring night would soon linger outside the window, left open for the nice breeze. The soft hum of her voice infused with tingling air - the tune of a childish piece she adored since her younger days, although being twelve, she couldn't dismiss it as being that long ago.

The delicate meal, skillfully prepared for the traditional tastes of the Kuchiki household, remained lonely on the tray, only separated by the small plating. The food was barely touched, only picked at and nibbled when her stomach would make a demanding noise. She would take a bite of the pickled vegetables or a sip of the miso soup before returning her attention to her most important interest at hand.

With a booklet in one hand and a pink cell phone in the other, she chewed her bottom lip lightly, trying to make sense of the information in writing. She didn't think operating such a small piece of technology would require that many brain cells, since she was always praised by her private teachers for an intelligent and inquisitive mind. She was quite proud of the compliments, especially when whispers of her accomplishments matched those of her dear brother in his youthful days too.

The humming stopped.

Her brows furrowed to a dangerous point between her eyes as she placed the phone manual down and reached for the pair of chopsticks. Impatient, violet eyes were still glued to the screen of the cell phone, while the chopsticks tore a piece of white flesh off the grilled fish and brought it to her mouth. She chewed it slowly and left the pair of wooden utensils dangling from her mouth, not caring about the unladylike manner in the privacy of her room, when both hands were now pressing the buttons of the phone eagerly.

She went through a variety of expressions, from confusion to annoyance to something curious and maybe, finally an epiphany. Her childish features lit up; the pure joy illuminated in her beautiful, round eyes at overcoming the challenge set before her. She had successfully added her first contact file into her new cell phone, after managing to delete the said file four times already.

The chopsticks had fallen from her mouth when she pumped her tightly clenched phone into the air in celebration and was left forgotten as she scrambled for the phone manual again. She had been immersed with the object since its arrival from the afternoon delivery, even to the point of having a forced late dinner alone in her room. Now the cold meal was ignored while she focused on another important matter: she wanted to add a photo to the contact detail.

After reading the steps from the booklet, she turned back to her phone and started to press the dictated buttons. "Let's see," she mumbled to herself, which sometimes helped her thinking process, "I go to my contacts folder, find his name... and... hmm, edit right? Oh... hmm..."

She waited for the edit menu to pop up but instead, the sound of the phone dialing out echoed from her room through her mind, and finally she freaked out at the ringing. At the third ring, she managed to end the unexpected call out.

"Crap! Did it just call him?!"

She looked at the screen, at the number she had just apparently dialed without meaning to, and then curled forward into a ball of embarrassment. At least she cut it off in time, before he could answer, because she had no idea what to say. She had no reason to call him anyway, even though she felt a bit lonely. She rolled onto the floor, dropping onto her side with the phone held at arms' length. She brushed her left hand through her dark locks, in slight frustration because a part of her pondered on the 'what if's'.

Ten minutes later, the phone was still silent, so she guessed he must be really busy. She heard college courses could be difficult, but considering who was taking them at the age of thirteen, he could probably just stare at the professor and just pass the class. At that image of the boy staring across to his professors, with his usual, haughty yet intimidating expression, she smiled and quietly giggled to herself.

It was only then that the generic ring tone interrupted her thoughts. Her violet eyes of panic snapped to the phone in her hand, and she saw his number on the screen. She chewed her bottom lip feverishly - which had become a habit when she was nervous - debating whether to answer or not.

She let the ringing continued till it finally stopped after the eighth time. She sighed in relief and too embarrassed to answer him. It wasn't like he knew it was her; there was no way he would recognize her number when she had just receive the phone and set it up that day.

She noticed something on the phone screen blinking, and it was a tiny message icon, indicating that she had just received a message. She clicked on it, and her eyes grew wider at the words:

_'Chibiko, answer the phone when I call you!'_

How in the world did he know it was her?!

She frowned at her terrible assumption that he was psychic and decided the only way to find out was to call him. She was expecting for a few rings again, but she heard his voice right after the first ring.

"You made me wait," he sighed.

She clutched the phone tightly in her hand, feeling guilty, "S-sorry, Hitsugaya-kun."

"I'll just punish you later."

She had no response to that since she repositioned herself in the traditional, formal style of _seiza_, where her legs were folded under her thighs and feet in proper position behind her, almost as if she was punishing herself already, but he didn't need to know that.

"Feeling lonely without me already?" His voice held a bit of playfulness that he always enjoyed whenever they spoke, and even talking by phone, he could always fluster her. One day, she would learn how to snap back with witty replies.

"Of course not!" she denied too quickly, but he knew better and chuckled. She had to think of something fast to cover her obvious emotions. "How do you know it was me? I just got the phone today."

"Hmm," he seemed to be contemplating whether to reveal his secret or not, "Momo mentioned it a few days ago."

She sighed, "She sure knows how to ruin surprises." She untucked her legs from beneath her, now that she was slowly adjusting to the situation with him, and stretched her legs in front of her. She wiggled her toes when he laughed, and then there was a period of silence between them.

Rukia wasn't sure what to say, but she was running through a few topics in her mind, but he started up again, "Hm, well now I won't need her to keep me up-to-date."

"Eh?" She blinked in confusion at his words, not like he could see her reaction, but he had an inkling she didn't understand his meaning. As smart as she could be, she was rather dense in other areas, but that was part of her charm, and it was always fun teasing her too.

"Did you have dinner yet?" he asked. There was a soft sound of shuffling from his end when she answered his question.

"Ah, sort of." She looked over at her partially eaten dinner, "Grilled fish and pickled vegetables... Have you eaten yet?" It was as if she just realized she could've interrupted his dinner or some important activity, "Ah, I'm so sorry if I disturbed you. I didn't even think-!"

"It's fine," he just waved it off as nothing, "I was actually in the bath when I missed your call."

"Oh, okay."

There was another awkward silence.

"Hey, Chibiko."

"Yes?"

"You miss me, huh..."

She couldn't tell if that was a question or statement. She did miss him, but like hell would she admit that directly, so she just asked him, "You're coming with Momo to visit this weekend, right?"

"Chibiko," he slightly growled at her avoidance, and it was one of the times where he wanted her to give a straight answer, just so he could tease her with it.

"She said you promised, so you can't go back on it."

"Chibiko."

"You have to come, no matter what."

"Chibiko."

She finally noticed the firm, calm tone in his voice, "Yes?" She heard his heavy sigh, and it was quiet again. He seemed to be struggling with his words or something, so she pressed the phone closer against her ear while she drew up her legs against her chest and rested her chin upon her knees. Soon, the silence was filled with his soft chuckles.

"I'm glad you called," he said, and she could imagine a faint smile upon his face, instead of a mocking smirk, which was always infectious because her eyes softened and the ends of her lips curled into a smile too.

"Me too," she whispered.

* * *

**Note:** I've been in a blah mood to write anything funny and decided to finish this HitsuRuki memory that was started a few weeks back. I thought it'd be cute to see Rukia fumbling with technology just so she could keep in touch with Toushirou, lol. It makes me smile when I think how cute the two are together... in this AU, lol.

Anyways, thank you for the sweet reviews, especially DearChappy's. It made me all smiley and warm inside, haha... *sweatdrops* _Tale of a Summer_ was my favorite piece to write. Though this third memory doesn't invoke that same tender feeling as the previous, I still have a few possible more that hopefully... I can write like that again. *smiles faintly* ~kuro


	4. An Afternoon Melody

**Disclaimer**: _Bleach_ belongs to Tite Kubo.

* * *

**Bleach: The Shoujo Side - Side Stories**

**Memories - An Afternoon Melody**

written by Kurosu

The late afternoon sky was set aglow by the bright sun descending from the protection of the clouds, letting the hot summer weather take a refreshing breath before another day of heat could scorch the earth again. This pivotal moment of the day, when the temperature would slowly drop, had been anticipated by all the young children. They could now freely run outside, without getting baked by the sun, and roam in the wonderful air of the countryside.

She couldn't remember when the last time the world had been so quiet and peaceful, almost reminding her of the time she laid in her sister's lap and fell asleep to the soft hum of her voice. She tried to recall the tune her sister loved so much and tested it with her own voice.

"What is that?" he asked, curiously.

He adjusted his hold on her legs, giving her a push upward upon his back where she happily rode since he promised to give her a piggyback ride, and her humming stopped. She held one arm around his neck carefully, hoping not to fall off, while the other tugged her honey-colored yukata down after it rode up her thigh. After the adjustment, she wrapped that arm around his neck and plopped her head on his left shoulder.

He felt her breath upon his skin and refrained from shuddering at the electrifying sensation that overtook his body. He had more control than the average, teenage boy of fifteen years, but then again, he was never a normal one to begin with. Able to understand the world around him at such a young age, he knew he was different from other kids and learned quickly reality was harsh and cruel. He matured faster, and by the time he was eight, he felt the responsibilities of an adult fall upon his tiny shoulders, especially when she was involved.

"Well?"

He wanted his question answered, and though he usually had patience with her, he didn't like it when she purposely made him wait. From the tone in his voice, she knew it irritated him when he didn't know something. She clasped her hands on both of his shoulders, for a good hold, and leaned away from his back, letting her laughter dance beautifully into the sky.

He loved the sound of her voice, whether she whined irritably or laughed mischievously because she brought so many different emotions to his life, and would never admit it to her though. Now that she was playing around with him, he would in turn do the same, letting his hands fumble the hold on her, and she yelped when she felt herself slipping from his back. Immediately her arms encircled his neck and held herself up, just as he chuckled and brought his hands back to hold her up.

"That was mean, Hitsugaya!"

He kept his eyes forward on the dirt road, still on the walk back to the countryside villa, and smiled at the image of her pouting lips.

"That was punishment for not answering me."

"I would've told you!" she insisted. Her embrace tightened, and she pressed into him, placing her cheek against his for emphasis.

He rolled his eyes, "After you had your fun."

"Of course!" she giggled.

He felt the cheerful vibrations through the contact of their skins, and the warmth grew within his chest. He stopped walking for a moment and then turned away from the road, taking a detour into the grassy landscape. She noticed and started to pester him with questions on why they weren't returning home, or where they were going now, or if he was going to sell her for money, jokingly.

"I would love to, but I wouldn't get much for you," he teased.

"Liar!" she chomped down on his shoulder, lightly.

"Hey!"

"Ojii-sama said I was priceless!"

"Oh? He did?" he pretended not to care or accept the words as truth, but inwardly, he couldn't agree with it more. "I guess you would be. You are a Kuchiki after all."

"That's not what he meant," she fumed, apparently offended that he didn't understand the meaning since he was supposed to be the smartest boy she knew, aside from her grandfather and brother.

"What did he mean then?" he feigned ignorance.

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" she eyed his profile, wondering if he was plotting something - after all, he was taking her to some unknown place instead of his family's villa.

"Smarter than you, yes."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable, Hitsugaya!" she whined.

He laughed, and all during the trip, they threw insults and witty banters at each other until they reached his intended destination. He had brought her to a beautiful lake of crystal clarity, reflecting the setting sun, surrounded by local vegetation and small creatures fleeing at their arrival.

In awe and speechlessness, Rukia stared at the scene as if it came right out of a photograph of a travel brochure. He knelt down and allowed her to slide off his back onto her feet, and they stood there, side by side, and gazed at the natural structure the earth gave birth to. It was breathtaking and indescribable, too beautiful to be disturbed by words, so both remained silent and enjoyed it in the presence of each other.

When he stole a glance in her direction, he found her smiling brightly, each little feature of her face illuminated beautifully by the glow of the orange sun, and it was contagiously adorable that he, too, was smiling - not for the charming atmosphere they found themselves in, but for having her with him.

"_Hisana's Lullaby_," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"That melody."

And she began humming the same piece from earlier, as they stood, side by side, hand in hand.

* * *

**Note:** There's no chronological order to these memories. I write them as they come to me. I'm currently stuck on _The Shoujo Side_, so I took a break and wrote this piece. I don't know how I feel about this one.

I kept imagining them walking down the dirt road with Toushi giving Ruki a piggyback ride and thought it was cute to write. And I've always found the summer countryside in Japan beautiful too, though I didn't get much description of it in.

Well I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks. -kuro


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